Marcela Maspero of the pro-Chavez union federation UNT and José Gregorio Villarroel of the Labor Ministry explain to Green Left Weekly's Frederico Fuentes how they see the recent intensification of expropriations of idle land and businesses.

According to Venezuela's National Institute of Statistics, unemployment and poverty have both been dropping significantly in 2005. Unemployment is now at 11.5% and income poverty at 38.5%. These figures are said to be a direct result of the consistent economic growth for the past two years.

The following AFP article appeared in all the English language newspapers across Pakistan today. We republish here with a picture of the article from the Dawn, one of the most widely read English papers in Pakistan.

On Monday 10th October Hands Off Venezuela, together with activists and students at the University of East Anglia, jointly held a video showing of Venezuela Bolivariana. Jorge Martin and Hazel Marsh, a lecturer at University of East Anglia and expert on Latin America, were present, in an attempt to promote awareness and solidarity with our cause and set up a Hands Off Venezuela society in campus.

I decided I would go to El Charcote, near San Carlos, as I had heard that there was a land dispute between a wealthy English Company and some campesino families who had occupied the land. I thought that perhaps our solidarity group could do something to support the campesinos in their struggle to stay on the land.

On Thursday October 6, the Congress of the Workers Commissions (CCOO) branch in Navantia - Ferrol - Galicia (previously Izar, shipyard), unanimously passed the following resolution in solidarity with the Venezuelan Revolution. The resolution was moved by delegates belonging to the critical sector of CCOO.

The Executive Council of the Alberta Federation of Labour has come out in support of the Hands Off Venezuela (HOV) campaign in Canada. Here is the letter they are circulating to all their local union presidents urging them to endorse and support HOV. This is a huge step forward for the solidarity campaign in Canada.

The last few weeks have seen great steps forward for the Venezuela solidarity movement in Canada. Most notably, after HOV gained the support of the Alberta Federation of Labour, the following resolution was passed at the Alberta NDP Convention.